skip navigation

five local boys compete in lisbon

By Tyler Vaughn, 04/05/18, 3:00PM CDT

Share

A handful of local players were invited to put their skills on display in Portugal recently. Last month, Tommy Riley, Director of Player Development for Energy FC, accompanied youth players Aaron Marquez, Marco Romero, David Meacham, Bien Wells, and Jacob Chapple to Lisbon on a 10 day football experience that none of them will soon forget.

Marquez plays for the ’02 South Region Olympic Development Program team while Romero, Meacham, Wells, and Chapple are all part of the ’03s. These players were selected for the regional teams after representing their Oklahoma ODP teams at South Region camp. From there, regional staff made their selections on who would make the 40-player pool and then ultimately, the 18-player squad. Aaron Marquez, Marco Romero, and David Meacham also represent Oklahoma Energy Football Club.

Over the course of the trip, the boys trained at Benfica’s Caixa Futebol Campus with sessions led by Benfica’s staff, ate in the club cafeteria, and got a taste of what it’s like to be a professional footballer day in, day out. They knew they were in for something completely different before they even kicked a ball when they saw fans lined up outside the campus gates trying to get autographs and photos of the Benfica first team.

In addition to training at world-class facilities, the players also got to see how they stacked up against some of the local competition in matches against Amora, Casa Pia, and Benfica’s youth teams. They fared well against each club, and the ‘03s even beat a Benfica youth team 10-1. In a somewhat interesting side note, that Benfica team featured Madonna’s son, David Banda.

It wasn’t all business, however. The boys were able to take in the sights in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, and they made sure to swing by the home of Benfica’s first team, Estadio da Luz. They toured the grounds and watched as Benfica beat Deportivo Aves 2-0. Former South Region ODP player Keaton Parks came on as a second half substitute for the home side. Parks, a Plano, TX native, joined Benfica in 2017, has established himself as a regular in the reserves, and has made three appearances for the first team so far.

Riley had this to say about the group's time in Lisbon: “It was a great experience in a professional environment and (an opportunity) to see the next level of player in their youth academy, second team, and first team. I think it opened the eyes of our boys to see what else is out there and caused them to step outside their bubble as they experienced another country and culture that they aren’t familiar with.

"For me personally, it was good to see what’s out there for our boys and our region," Riley added.  "I believe that we have the talent in a lot of our age groups and have kids that can be on those teams. Our job now is to get them out and be a part of the process.”